Sunday, April 24, 2011
Felt like saying hello.
You know sometimes you just feel like getting on to one of your many blogs and saying something. Even after a 3 year hiatus, you get an urge and there you go. Mostly my thoughts are unintelligible, hard to organize into a cohesive post. Today my thoughts are trending in a misanthropic direction. Towards a bitterness that humans get so caught up in the day to day of their lives. But that's probably because it's Sunday.
By tomorrow at 8am I'll be back in the thick of it TCB.
By tomorrow at 8am I'll be back in the thick of it TCB.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
KFC Subliminal Message
While watching TV for the millionth hour today I noticed a small subliminal message in that KFC dollar snacker commercial. Look at the picture above, can you see anything odd? I know the picture quality is bad (thanks iPhone), but it's still visible. See anything? If you look hard enough at the lettuce on the sandwich on the right side you can see a small dollar bill implanted in there. I don't have photoshop installed on this computer but I did the best I could with iPhoto and tried to isolate it.
See it now? It's much easier to see when you watch the actual commercial. Just some TV fun I thought I'd share.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Blog Life Spans and Complete Sentences
So what do you think is the average life span of a blog?
I would guess not very long at all. Maybe 2-3 months. Either people get bored reading it, or the author gets bored writing it, or your school forces you to stop writing it and threatens to take away your degree. Any way you look at it blogs are short lived creatures.
I had a blog in high school, and that one lasted for at least a year. But that blog was with someone else. Joint blogs I would say are much easier to maintain. Especially if the two writers compliment each other in some way. Otherwise blogs are difficult to keep up. Then again not all blogs are just boring personal journals, some are affiliated with a profession or have some sort of niche that the author, or authors are associated with. In that case those blogs can last for a much longer period. I am not really talking about those, I am more just talking about personal blogs through a blogging service such as Blogger or Live Journal. Those I would argue do not have a long life span.
How often do you hear people speak in complete sentences? I don't think it is as common as you think. People do it, they have the ability to, but alot of them seem not to. Especially actors and actresses, if you ever watch or listen to an interview with an actor alot of the time they'll give an answer and fade out and then just start a new thought without ever finishing their previous statement and just go on, it's like everything ends with an ellipsis and their answer is just one huge sentence with 19 ellipsi between every new thought. You'll also see this alot of times when people who don't know what they're trying to say are trying to make a point about something. They'll add a bunch of fillers like "umm" and "so" and "you know" and they'll go on and on and their thoughts get so convoluted that by the end YOUR not really sure what they said and they certainly don't know what they said and then everyone in the room is just left confused and frustrated at the kid in the fifth row who raises his hand every question and spouts off 13 different beginnings to a sentence and then never finishes any of them!
It's not that this kid doesn't make good points from time to time, he does, but the path to get to those points are filled with so much speech clutter and fillers and half thoughts that it's just painful to listen to. It doesn't help that he sits right in front of me so when I raise my hand and the professor points in my direction this boy automatically begins to talk (because he no doubt had his hand raised as well) and we are all forced to listen to him try to get his thoughts together enough to make one cognizant point.
Now no one is perfect, and it is sometimes hard to get your thoughts out there especially when nerves are involved. But would it be too much to ask to just put a little more thought into what you are trying to say before you begin to speak? I don't think it is.
I would guess not very long at all. Maybe 2-3 months. Either people get bored reading it, or the author gets bored writing it, or your school forces you to stop writing it and threatens to take away your degree. Any way you look at it blogs are short lived creatures.
I had a blog in high school, and that one lasted for at least a year. But that blog was with someone else. Joint blogs I would say are much easier to maintain. Especially if the two writers compliment each other in some way. Otherwise blogs are difficult to keep up. Then again not all blogs are just boring personal journals, some are affiliated with a profession or have some sort of niche that the author, or authors are associated with. In that case those blogs can last for a much longer period. I am not really talking about those, I am more just talking about personal blogs through a blogging service such as Blogger or Live Journal. Those I would argue do not have a long life span.
How often do you hear people speak in complete sentences? I don't think it is as common as you think. People do it, they have the ability to, but alot of them seem not to. Especially actors and actresses, if you ever watch or listen to an interview with an actor alot of the time they'll give an answer and fade out and then just start a new thought without ever finishing their previous statement and just go on, it's like everything ends with an ellipsis and their answer is just one huge sentence with 19 ellipsi between every new thought. You'll also see this alot of times when people who don't know what they're trying to say are trying to make a point about something. They'll add a bunch of fillers like "umm" and "so" and "you know" and they'll go on and on and their thoughts get so convoluted that by the end YOUR not really sure what they said and they certainly don't know what they said and then everyone in the room is just left confused and frustrated at the kid in the fifth row who raises his hand every question and spouts off 13 different beginnings to a sentence and then never finishes any of them!
It's not that this kid doesn't make good points from time to time, he does, but the path to get to those points are filled with so much speech clutter and fillers and half thoughts that it's just painful to listen to. It doesn't help that he sits right in front of me so when I raise my hand and the professor points in my direction this boy automatically begins to talk (because he no doubt had his hand raised as well) and we are all forced to listen to him try to get his thoughts together enough to make one cognizant point.
Now no one is perfect, and it is sometimes hard to get your thoughts out there especially when nerves are involved. But would it be too much to ask to just put a little more thought into what you are trying to say before you begin to speak? I don't think it is.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Recinding
Alllllllllllright. So I made a huge post about how I was never going to drink alcohol again real early this morning. And then all day I was just thinking about how that would actually be and you know what? It wasn't fun. I would just feel weird all the time and people would ask me "oh really why not?" and then I wouldn't really have a good answer aside from all those cookie cutter reasons I listed before and that would just make me look stupid. And as I re-read that original post I couldn't help but get kinda creeped out. It didn't sound like me...it was almost like christian. I don't know it was real weird and I did not like the feeling I got when I read it and when I thought about its implications. I think I over reacted a little bit after coming home from a weekend of excess which I think spurred on this whole thought process starting last night continuing on into this morning and I think I was my body was so depressed from all of the alcohol from the weekend that it clouded my mind and lead me to write that very odd post. Kind of like when Jenna was so upset over her lost iPhone she rationalized buying a $300 razr.
So am I still not going to drink? For the most part yes. But I am not going to absolutely abstain because after 8 hours of thought I have come to the conclusion that it would cause more problems than it would solve and all I really have to do is not spend so much money.
So sorry for whoever read that last post. It was very odd.
So am I still not going to drink? For the most part yes. But I am not going to absolutely abstain because after 8 hours of thought I have come to the conclusion that it would cause more problems than it would solve and all I really have to do is not spend so much money.
So sorry for whoever read that last post. It was very odd.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
A Treatise on Squirrels
Hello again. I read this article a while back and meant to write something about it, but then I got all wrapped up in other things like Portal and IDM music and forgot to ever post it. But anyway here it is, "Scientists prove Squirrels are Sneaky". It's not a long article but it's basically about how squirrels are so paranoid that they actually make a whole bunch of fake hiding places for their food and if you see one making a hole, there is actually about a 20% chance that it is fake. Furthermore squirrels are more likely to make a "fake" hole when they know that other squirrels are watching! Sneaky indeed. But can you blame them? There are so many squirrels frolicking about all competing for the same food source, of course they're going to be sneaky about it! I would be too.
The only thing I don't like about the article is that the writer actually doesn't like squirrels! I like squirrels. I've always said that squirrels are like the extreme athletes of the animal world. They're always darting out in front of cars, swinging across wee little branches just begging to break, risking their lives attempting to steal from bird feeders. I was walking to class once and saw a squirrel fall at least 4 stories from the top of a building. He hit the ground, looked at me and just shook it off and continued about his day. Squirrels are really just adrenaline junkies with fur.
In other news I got into the MPA program at UWM! Which means I am halfway there! I still have to get into the Urban Planning Program in order to do the dual degree, which sucks because I don't think I will hear from them until March! You'd think that they would have a little better coordination with these dual degree programs, it's like the departments have no idea what the other is doing and make no effort whatsoever to find out. Oh well. In time I'll find out.
"There will be Blood" is finally here too, which I am going to see in a few hours. I don't think I have been this excited for a movie since Gangs of New York (when I thought it was a musical, oh what a pleasant surprise that was). I think Daniel Day Lewis is a good example of one of those "quality over quantity" actors. He's been only a handful of movies (25 according to IMDB), and they're all pretty good. Unlike like Samuel L. Jackson, who has been in over 100 different films and has made 150+ appearances as himself, some good some absolute shit. Which is fine I'm not knocking actors who have alot of roles. Maybe Daniel Day Lewis doesn't get approached for that many roles or maybe he is just really, really picky. Who knows!
Im out!
(lots of exclamation points this post)
The only thing I don't like about the article is that the writer actually doesn't like squirrels! I like squirrels. I've always said that squirrels are like the extreme athletes of the animal world. They're always darting out in front of cars, swinging across wee little branches just begging to break, risking their lives attempting to steal from bird feeders. I was walking to class once and saw a squirrel fall at least 4 stories from the top of a building. He hit the ground, looked at me and just shook it off and continued about his day. Squirrels are really just adrenaline junkies with fur.
In other news I got into the MPA program at UWM! Which means I am halfway there! I still have to get into the Urban Planning Program in order to do the dual degree, which sucks because I don't think I will hear from them until March! You'd think that they would have a little better coordination with these dual degree programs, it's like the departments have no idea what the other is doing and make no effort whatsoever to find out. Oh well. In time I'll find out.
"There will be Blood" is finally here too, which I am going to see in a few hours. I don't think I have been this excited for a movie since Gangs of New York (when I thought it was a musical, oh what a pleasant surprise that was). I think Daniel Day Lewis is a good example of one of those "quality over quantity" actors. He's been only a handful of movies (25 according to IMDB), and they're all pretty good. Unlike like Samuel L. Jackson, who has been in over 100 different films and has made 150+ appearances as himself, some good some absolute shit. Which is fine I'm not knocking actors who have alot of roles. Maybe Daniel Day Lewis doesn't get approached for that many roles or maybe he is just really, really picky. Who knows!
Im out!
(lots of exclamation points this post)
Monday, January 21, 2008
Oil!
I don't really know what I have been doing these last few days.
This weekend was fun, there was alot of drinking and what not going on. John and Gallagher came down which was a nice change of pace. It was good to see them.
I almost died in the epic and infamous fire in Presidential Tower which was really the first time I have ever been in a place where there actually was a fire. It was kind of surreal to have all of those lights flashing and alarms going off still in a drunken, half asleep daze. Running down 11 flights of stairs hearing that woman's mechanized voice repeat "this is a real emergency, do not use the elevators" brought flashes of 9/11 to my mind. Except this time I was in the WTC and not watching it in my living room. And wading in the hallways with an inch of water from the sprinklers coupled with the smell of smoke just made me think of Titanic. I have pictures of all of this but they don't really do justice to the feel of the whole escapade.
Now was there a real, life threatening fire? No. I think someone lit some trash on fire with a cigarette, but when it's 4 am, you smell smoke, and all of the alarms are going off you have little choice but to treat it as a real true life emergency.
And now I have a cold. Well it's not really a cold my nose is just all stuffed up and I clear my throat about every 2 seconds. I'm sure it annoys all of the people around but most of the time I don't even know I am doing it. So sorry people around me, I don't mean to be annoying.
I'm also STILL waiting to hear back from grad schools. I literally got my applications in September. How long does it take to look at a application? Sometimes I seriously question the organization of some of these places. Although the process is somewhat overly complicated. I mean you have to first apply to the graduate school itself, then the actual program, and if you're doing a joint degree double that. So that's 2 separate applications with three offices looking at your application, essays (which are different for each program), 3 letters of recommendation from all over the country, plus your GRE scores which are sent by an entirely different entity in itself and transcripts (I almost forgot about those). But still how hard is it to run all that shit through the "admission council"? I put it in quotes because I really don't know what constitutes the "admission council" it may a computer for all I know. But I have hope that I'll hear soon. Then it's on to craigs list to find an apartment in Milwaukee (that's the hope anyway). We'll see. Anyone know anyone in Milwaukee? I only know a few people and I don't even know if they live there anymore...
And now its 7 o'clock.. where did this day go? See what I mean? I don't know what I've been doing.
This weekend was fun, there was alot of drinking and what not going on. John and Gallagher came down which was a nice change of pace. It was good to see them.
I almost died in the epic and infamous fire in Presidential Tower which was really the first time I have ever been in a place where there actually was a fire. It was kind of surreal to have all of those lights flashing and alarms going off still in a drunken, half asleep daze. Running down 11 flights of stairs hearing that woman's mechanized voice repeat "this is a real emergency, do not use the elevators" brought flashes of 9/11 to my mind. Except this time I was in the WTC and not watching it in my living room. And wading in the hallways with an inch of water from the sprinklers coupled with the smell of smoke just made me think of Titanic. I have pictures of all of this but they don't really do justice to the feel of the whole escapade.
Now was there a real, life threatening fire? No. I think someone lit some trash on fire with a cigarette, but when it's 4 am, you smell smoke, and all of the alarms are going off you have little choice but to treat it as a real true life emergency.
And now I have a cold. Well it's not really a cold my nose is just all stuffed up and I clear my throat about every 2 seconds. I'm sure it annoys all of the people around but most of the time I don't even know I am doing it. So sorry people around me, I don't mean to be annoying.
I'm also STILL waiting to hear back from grad schools. I literally got my applications in September. How long does it take to look at a application? Sometimes I seriously question the organization of some of these places. Although the process is somewhat overly complicated. I mean you have to first apply to the graduate school itself, then the actual program, and if you're doing a joint degree double that. So that's 2 separate applications with three offices looking at your application, essays (which are different for each program), 3 letters of recommendation from all over the country, plus your GRE scores which are sent by an entirely different entity in itself and transcripts (I almost forgot about those). But still how hard is it to run all that shit through the "admission council"? I put it in quotes because I really don't know what constitutes the "admission council" it may a computer for all I know. But I have hope that I'll hear soon. Then it's on to craigs list to find an apartment in Milwaukee (that's the hope anyway). We'll see. Anyone know anyone in Milwaukee? I only know a few people and I don't even know if they live there anymore...
And now its 7 o'clock.. where did this day go? See what I mean? I don't know what I've been doing.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
It's -2 degrees outside.
(note the keystolope in the upper left)
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Get Real.
I think I need to have my hearing checked. People on the phone sound muffled and quiet, I talk really loudly at restaurants, and when people are talking to me I have to tell them to speak up.
What's going on here?? Am I going deaf? Have my ears run their course? I don't know but something is up. I clean them regularly so what the deal?
How long do body parts last anyway? Think about your heart. It's ALWAYS doing something. It never stops. When you go to sleep its still beating, when you are watching tv its still beating and that doesn't even take into account when you're actually doing some sort of cardiovascular activity! How can it do that? I feel bad for it, always having to work. The same with your lungs! But they are bigger so somehow I don't think they work as hard. They go alot slower too...plus you can hold your breath and give them a break. You can't "hold your heart" and see how many beats you can skip. That's called cardiac arrest.
I suppose your brain is always doing something too. You can give that a break by cutting off oxygen to it, but that causes damage so I guess it is not really a break. Your blood is always on the move too... nerve endings always sensing, synapses always synapsing, nails always getting longer, your eyes are ALWAYS seeing, especially when you're asleep which is counter intuitive as it is.
When we sleep are we really resting?
You're breathing slows yes, but what else speeds up?
You're body generates heat too. Have you thought of this? It's not easy to keep something at a toasty 98.6 degrees. Do you know how much electricity it would take to heat something at almost 100 degrees for 80, 90 years?? Neither do I but I can only assume its a ton. And all of this without even taking into consideration the external forces on our bodies. Stress, pollutants, billions of carcinogens...we've got about a million different types of waves running through our bodies at any given time, microwaves, radio waves, tv waves, HD something or other waves, this spectrum that spectrum...the list never ends!
And those are just the things we can't control. We do much worse to our already constantly running body on purpose! We smoke, we drink, we inject all sorts of chemicals into our systems, we pop pills, play sports that where we run into things for hours on end, we exercise...
Who came up with this genius idea anyway? Making our body work harder on purpose? How does that make any sense? (Then again, things in the medical field are a little backwards...Ohhhhh to cure this disease we inject it INTO ourselves... What's that? To cure cancer I need to what? Shoot radioactive waves into my body? Alright this should work...)
With all of this shit going on I am surprised humans live more than a week let alone 70, 80 even 90 years. If I was an alien and saw how weak and fragile the human race is I wouldn't even waste my time attacking the earth I would just push the earth about a foot closer to the sun or raise the ocean a few feet and I am pretty sure it would wipe out the entire human race. Our body temperature goes up not even 10 degrees and we die. How pathetic is that? We are so unadaptable its funny. It rains in San Diego and people don't go out for weeks!
And we think we can colonize the moon. Get real.
What's going on here?? Am I going deaf? Have my ears run their course? I don't know but something is up. I clean them regularly so what the deal?
How long do body parts last anyway? Think about your heart. It's ALWAYS doing something. It never stops. When you go to sleep its still beating, when you are watching tv its still beating and that doesn't even take into account when you're actually doing some sort of cardiovascular activity! How can it do that? I feel bad for it, always having to work. The same with your lungs! But they are bigger so somehow I don't think they work as hard. They go alot slower too...plus you can hold your breath and give them a break. You can't "hold your heart" and see how many beats you can skip. That's called cardiac arrest.
I suppose your brain is always doing something too. You can give that a break by cutting off oxygen to it, but that causes damage so I guess it is not really a break. Your blood is always on the move too... nerve endings always sensing, synapses always synapsing, nails always getting longer, your eyes are ALWAYS seeing, especially when you're asleep which is counter intuitive as it is.
When we sleep are we really resting?
You're breathing slows yes, but what else speeds up?
You're body generates heat too. Have you thought of this? It's not easy to keep something at a toasty 98.6 degrees. Do you know how much electricity it would take to heat something at almost 100 degrees for 80, 90 years?? Neither do I but I can only assume its a ton. And all of this without even taking into consideration the external forces on our bodies. Stress, pollutants, billions of carcinogens...we've got about a million different types of waves running through our bodies at any given time, microwaves, radio waves, tv waves, HD something or other waves, this spectrum that spectrum...the list never ends!
And those are just the things we can't control. We do much worse to our already constantly running body on purpose! We smoke, we drink, we inject all sorts of chemicals into our systems, we pop pills, play sports that where we run into things for hours on end, we exercise...
Who came up with this genius idea anyway? Making our body work harder on purpose? How does that make any sense? (Then again, things in the medical field are a little backwards...Ohhhhh to cure this disease we inject it INTO ourselves... What's that? To cure cancer I need to what? Shoot radioactive waves into my body? Alright this should work...)
With all of this shit going on I am surprised humans live more than a week let alone 70, 80 even 90 years. If I was an alien and saw how weak and fragile the human race is I wouldn't even waste my time attacking the earth I would just push the earth about a foot closer to the sun or raise the ocean a few feet and I am pretty sure it would wipe out the entire human race. Our body temperature goes up not even 10 degrees and we die. How pathetic is that? We are so unadaptable its funny. It rains in San Diego and people don't go out for weeks!
And we think we can colonize the moon. Get real.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!!
I wonder how many blogs will have a post with that title today? My New Years was officially the most low key new year I have ever had in my life. I went over to my girlfriend's house ate a bunch of ribs, drank some MGD and watched Knocked Up and a little more than half of Harry Potter 5 and went to sleep. I think we turned on Channel 2 or 5 like 1 min before 12 and watched the "countdown", which was just a bunch of fat (huge really), old ass people dancing and making out with each other to a Frank Sinatra impersonator.
But you know my low key New Years was fun. It was not like my girlfriend and I were being purposefully anti-social, she just got out of the hospital so she couldn't drink and she can barely walk. So what were we supposed to do?
I think the fact that I knew I couldn't go out made it alot easier to not to. If this had been a different situation and I HAD to stay in for some horrible reason like I had to watch my non-existent little brother or my girlfriend made a big to-do about staying in when I knew all of my friends would be out having fun, I would be writing in a much different tone right now.
For the last two years though I have been in the mindset that New Year's is a big bust and that it is just another night (and many people agreed with me on that). I mean everyone is tired from the Christmas rush, most people have to work on the Eve, so it is understandable. But after watching those old men dancing with their fat wives sweating profusely, I thought to myself maybe there is more to this night that I had originally thought. Maybe it isn't just another night. And in my Grinch like moment of realization I realized that if you treat New Years as just another night that is what it ends up being, but if you treat it like a holiday, then it is a whole different story. So watch out New Years 2008 (or would it be 2009?) because I'm gunnin' for you.
But you know my low key New Years was fun. It was not like my girlfriend and I were being purposefully anti-social, she just got out of the hospital so she couldn't drink and she can barely walk. So what were we supposed to do?
I think the fact that I knew I couldn't go out made it alot easier to not to. If this had been a different situation and I HAD to stay in for some horrible reason like I had to watch my non-existent little brother or my girlfriend made a big to-do about staying in when I knew all of my friends would be out having fun, I would be writing in a much different tone right now.
For the last two years though I have been in the mindset that New Year's is a big bust and that it is just another night (and many people agreed with me on that). I mean everyone is tired from the Christmas rush, most people have to work on the Eve, so it is understandable. But after watching those old men dancing with their fat wives sweating profusely, I thought to myself maybe there is more to this night that I had originally thought. Maybe it isn't just another night. And in my Grinch like moment of realization I realized that if you treat New Years as just another night that is what it ends up being, but if you treat it like a holiday, then it is a whole different story. So watch out New Years 2008 (or would it be 2009?) because I'm gunnin' for you.
Friday, December 28, 2007
This is the last one I swear!
(How do you attach more than one photo to an iPhone email?)
Monday, December 17, 2007
The Top 15 Disappointments of 2007
So PC World just came out with its "Top 15 Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007." Topping the list were social networking sites (read facebook apps), Office 2007, Yahoo in general, and above all Vista, which got me thinking...what are the top 15 disappointments of 2007 of my life? I honestly don't think I can come up with 15 things but I can sure as hell try... (some of these might only apply to the second half of 2007 bc I don't really remember the first half)
15. My LSAT Score - I mean it wasn't bad...156 (68th) percentile, but once I read that poorly formatted email from LSAC in John's basement I saw all of my high falutin' Boston Legal dreams go out the window. No one becomes Denny Crane by going to John Marshall.
14. Express for Men - They used to be my go-to store for all things metrosexual, but now it seems they've taken a more urban Latino style that really doesn't suit me. They went from having sweet t-shirts with birds and trees on them to all skulls all the time. A black shirt with 18 skulls and some roses around the shoulder? Sweet put it on the shelves. I didn't know Obey and Express merged. I guess it's time for me to embrace my caucasianicity and go to the Gap.
13. My Summer softball team - We got slaughtered every single game of the season except one and it was 35 minutes away. I think it's pretty self explanatory.
12. Facebook - I know it's cliche to hate on Facebook but really in the last year my use of the site has gone down at least 80%. I blame it on apps (namely zombies), that damn drawable wall, and Angelo Dunlao soliciting my contact info to try and rope me into Quixtar.
11. America - America let's face it, times are a changin'. And you're not on top anymore. So let's just try and step down with some dignity.
10. Chili's - I had the perfect Chili's order down. Chicken Quesadillas with fries instead of beans and loaded mash potatoes instead of rice. It was the same amount of money for about 4 times the food. But somewhere along the way Chili's lost something. The fries got a little luke warm, the mash potatoes got a little less mashed and the lemon water just wasn't as refreshing. Maybe I over did it or maybe the Champaign Chili's slipped on quality control. Whatever the reason, a part of me died when I realized I did not want to go to Chili's
9. Kam's - Maybe I just never go anymore or maybe it's because they charge $5 cover to get in when there is NO ONE in the bar but Kam's this year has sucked. However now that that DZ works there....
8. The Office - Every week last year I would run down to the Mez and watch the Office. It was smart, funny, Jim and Pam weren't annoyingly arrogant in their relationship and Toby had more than one line. It was the perfect segway into a weekend. Now with the writing strike and the Jim and Pam sucking it just doesn't have that 2006 charm.
7. The last episode of "Flight of the Conchords"- Sticking with the tv theme, I have never seen such a perfect tv series end so horrifically as FotC. What the hell happened there?? Murray left, got all rich with some guy who barked? It was nothing like any of the previous episodes AT ALL. If this is what I can expect from them in the future I say just leave it at one season, it's not worth me getting my hopes up.
6. My Laptop - I used to have a laptop....now the screen doesn't work...and it makes alot of noise...and there is no screen.
Oooo Top 5....CAN YOU STAND THE ANTICIPATION????
5. Metroid 3 Corruption - I know I am a huge loser for putting this in the top 5 but still the game was not up to par, at least in comparison to the first one. Too many corridors, not enough open space and an utter lack of dinosaurs and a horrible, horrible 100% completion ending.
4. Jim Nicholson - I did have the whole thing written down but then I realized I might get sued for libel. I'll just say this... Jim you disappoint me.
3. Millz - Millz?? Exactly. Now I don't know if he doesn't like me or my friends anymore or what but I have lived next to him the entire year and have seen him a total of 27.8 minutes (that's a rough estimate.) Where are you Millz?
2. Apt 515 - Verg hates the living conditions and sleeps until 1 pm, Jordan is in his room doing god knows what for 23 hours of day, our elevator is slow as hell, bums are passed out in our laundromat and we have NO WINDOWS. I had real high hopes for the apartment this year but overall I would consider it a disappointment. Now I am not saying I don't like living with you but I think that between the different schedules, the poor living conditions and the growing animosity in the apartment it just hasn't been working as well as it could. I watch Yes, Dear everyday alone for god sakes, something's got to give.
And the Number 1 disappointment of 2007 is..............................
Gallagher Leaving - Gallagher what can I say...I am going to miss you. It just won't be the same without you next door banging gingers, trying to make out with Jena, buying cheap wine that you let me drink for free, playing Resident Evil 4 for 19 hours straight or driving drunk to downtown Champaign because you need an excuse to wear some ridiculous sport jacket without being made fun of. You've got a spark to you that none of us have and where ever you end up is lucky to have you (even if it is only in Crystal's basement). So here's to you Brendan. Good luck in all your endeavors.
IM OUT
15. My LSAT Score - I mean it wasn't bad...156 (68th) percentile, but once I read that poorly formatted email from LSAC in John's basement I saw all of my high falutin' Boston Legal dreams go out the window. No one becomes Denny Crane by going to John Marshall.
14. Express for Men - They used to be my go-to store for all things metrosexual, but now it seems they've taken a more urban Latino style that really doesn't suit me. They went from having sweet t-shirts with birds and trees on them to all skulls all the time. A black shirt with 18 skulls and some roses around the shoulder? Sweet put it on the shelves. I didn't know Obey and Express merged. I guess it's time for me to embrace my caucasianicity and go to the Gap.
13. My Summer softball team - We got slaughtered every single game of the season except one and it was 35 minutes away. I think it's pretty self explanatory.
12. Facebook - I know it's cliche to hate on Facebook but really in the last year my use of the site has gone down at least 80%. I blame it on apps (namely zombies), that damn drawable wall, and Angelo Dunlao soliciting my contact info to try and rope me into Quixtar.
11. America - America let's face it, times are a changin'. And you're not on top anymore. So let's just try and step down with some dignity.
10. Chili's - I had the perfect Chili's order down. Chicken Quesadillas with fries instead of beans and loaded mash potatoes instead of rice. It was the same amount of money for about 4 times the food. But somewhere along the way Chili's lost something. The fries got a little luke warm, the mash potatoes got a little less mashed and the lemon water just wasn't as refreshing. Maybe I over did it or maybe the Champaign Chili's slipped on quality control. Whatever the reason, a part of me died when I realized I did not want to go to Chili's
9. Kam's - Maybe I just never go anymore or maybe it's because they charge $5 cover to get in when there is NO ONE in the bar but Kam's this year has sucked. However now that that DZ works there....
8. The Office - Every week last year I would run down to the Mez and watch the Office. It was smart, funny, Jim and Pam weren't annoyingly arrogant in their relationship and Toby had more than one line. It was the perfect segway into a weekend. Now with the writing strike and the Jim and Pam sucking it just doesn't have that 2006 charm.
7. The last episode of "Flight of the Conchords"- Sticking with the tv theme, I have never seen such a perfect tv series end so horrifically as FotC. What the hell happened there?? Murray left, got all rich with some guy who barked? It was nothing like any of the previous episodes AT ALL. If this is what I can expect from them in the future I say just leave it at one season, it's not worth me getting my hopes up.
6. My Laptop - I used to have a laptop....now the screen doesn't work...and it makes alot of noise...and there is no screen.
Oooo Top 5....CAN YOU STAND THE ANTICIPATION????
5. Metroid 3 Corruption - I know I am a huge loser for putting this in the top 5 but still the game was not up to par, at least in comparison to the first one. Too many corridors, not enough open space and an utter lack of dinosaurs and a horrible, horrible 100% completion ending.
4. Jim Nicholson - I did have the whole thing written down but then I realized I might get sued for libel. I'll just say this... Jim you disappoint me.
3. Millz - Millz?? Exactly. Now I don't know if he doesn't like me or my friends anymore or what but I have lived next to him the entire year and have seen him a total of 27.8 minutes (that's a rough estimate.) Where are you Millz?
2. Apt 515 - Verg hates the living conditions and sleeps until 1 pm, Jordan is in his room doing god knows what for 23 hours of day, our elevator is slow as hell, bums are passed out in our laundromat and we have NO WINDOWS. I had real high hopes for the apartment this year but overall I would consider it a disappointment. Now I am not saying I don't like living with you but I think that between the different schedules, the poor living conditions and the growing animosity in the apartment it just hasn't been working as well as it could. I watch Yes, Dear everyday alone for god sakes, something's got to give.
And the Number 1 disappointment of 2007 is..............................
Gallagher Leaving - Gallagher what can I say...I am going to miss you. It just won't be the same without you next door banging gingers, trying to make out with Jena, buying cheap wine that you let me drink for free, playing Resident Evil 4 for 19 hours straight or driving drunk to downtown Champaign because you need an excuse to wear some ridiculous sport jacket without being made fun of. You've got a spark to you that none of us have and where ever you end up is lucky to have you (even if it is only in Crystal's basement). So here's to you Brendan. Good luck in all your endeavors.
IM OUT
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Planning Schools: Perception vs Reality
There has been alot of talk lately about "Planetizen's 2007 Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs" and whether or not the rankings in the book are accurate or if they should have been ranked at all.
(See: Peralta and Freeman)
After writing what could be considered a lengthy term paper in response to Lance Freeman's article (see link above) I decided not to post it due to its length and the fact that it was so convoluted with half arguments and contradictions it made little sense. I do however think this is an important topic so I will give you the reader's digest version of my thoughts on school rankings, their importance and so on.
So are school rankings important? Short answer yes. They are a concise, convenient way to see how various schools stack up to each other. I'll admit there are some limitations which were pointed out by Prof. Freeman. However as I argued in my "just for fun" essay the limitations he pointed out were somewhat off base.
He argued that rankings are misleading because they cannot accurately represent the "nature" or "quality" of the education that would be received. While that may seem true I would argue that the "nature" or "quality" of one's educational experience is so subjective that it cannot be put into something as objective as a list. There is no way to tell the "quality of education" that one will receive from a particular institution without actually going there and that involves you having already made your decision, a decision that I would argue depended on rankings in some way or another. I would also say that that is not even what the rankings are claiming to be. They are merely a comparison of schools based on certain quantifiable criteria. Let's not fool ourselves into thinking they are something they're not. Saying rankings are misleading in itself seems to be misleading as it makes the reader think they have more meaning and weight than they do.
His second critique seems a little more valid but then again it does open itself up to some criticisms. Freeman admits that "perceptions do count." And yet he says schools trying to get a higher ranking by becoming more selective is a bad thing? If perceptions do count, and schools that are ranked higher are perceived better by the planning community (which he also admits) wouldn't it follow that by becoming more selective and improving your ranking you are also improving your school? So I would say that schools becoming more selective to improve their ranking is a good thing. Because after all isn't perception reality in this case? Again Freeman's counter argument would be that a high ranking is not indicative of a school's ability to provide a "quality education", but what I am saying to you is that the idea of a "quality education" is so subjective and so largely up to the individual that it is impossible to determine anyway. Not to mention that someone's notion of a quality education is so socially constructed, that to a large degree it will be determined by rankings regardless.
That was really the meat of what I wanted to say. I also think that a conversation on the debate of "perception vs reality" is appropriate here. What rankings do is promulgate certain perceptions of schools. This can be a bad or a good thing, it depends on which side of the fence you're on I suppose. However I do think that in the case of school rankings perception IS reality. The general public does not know about the individual details of an Urban Planning program or any other program for that matter, all they have to go on are rankings, which are based, to a large extent, on perception.
But does it really matter what the general population thinks? They're not the ones hiring you, people in the field are hiring you and they should know the in's and out's of planning programs right? That would be the perception, but I do not think it is the reality. I mean this is the first year that rankings for any sort of planning programs has been published and look at the controversy it has caused. I guess I can finish this off by proclaiming that I hope one day there can be a way to figure out which school is the best fit for one individual until then all we can do is look at the rankings and go for it. Education is what you make it...but going to M.I.T doesn't hurt either.
So are school rankings important? Short answer yes. They are a concise, convenient way to see how various schools stack up to each other. I'll admit there are some limitations which were pointed out by Prof. Freeman. However as I argued in my "just for fun" essay the limitations he pointed out were somewhat off base.
He argued that rankings are misleading because they cannot accurately represent the "nature" or "quality" of the education that would be received. While that may seem true I would argue that the "nature" or "quality" of one's educational experience is so subjective that it cannot be put into something as objective as a list. There is no way to tell the "quality of education" that one will receive from a particular institution without actually going there and that involves you having already made your decision, a decision that I would argue depended on rankings in some way or another. I would also say that that is not even what the rankings are claiming to be. They are merely a comparison of schools based on certain quantifiable criteria. Let's not fool ourselves into thinking they are something they're not. Saying rankings are misleading in itself seems to be misleading as it makes the reader think they have more meaning and weight than they do.
His second critique seems a little more valid but then again it does open itself up to some criticisms. Freeman admits that "perceptions do count." And yet he says schools trying to get a higher ranking by becoming more selective is a bad thing? If perceptions do count, and schools that are ranked higher are perceived better by the planning community (which he also admits) wouldn't it follow that by becoming more selective and improving your ranking you are also improving your school? So I would say that schools becoming more selective to improve their ranking is a good thing. Because after all isn't perception reality in this case? Again Freeman's counter argument would be that a high ranking is not indicative of a school's ability to provide a "quality education", but what I am saying to you is that the idea of a "quality education" is so subjective and so largely up to the individual that it is impossible to determine anyway. Not to mention that someone's notion of a quality education is so socially constructed, that to a large degree it will be determined by rankings regardless.
That was really the meat of what I wanted to say. I also think that a conversation on the debate of "perception vs reality" is appropriate here. What rankings do is promulgate certain perceptions of schools. This can be a bad or a good thing, it depends on which side of the fence you're on I suppose. However I do think that in the case of school rankings perception IS reality. The general public does not know about the individual details of an Urban Planning program or any other program for that matter, all they have to go on are rankings, which are based, to a large extent, on perception.
But does it really matter what the general population thinks? They're not the ones hiring you, people in the field are hiring you and they should know the in's and out's of planning programs right? That would be the perception, but I do not think it is the reality. I mean this is the first year that rankings for any sort of planning programs has been published and look at the controversy it has caused. I guess I can finish this off by proclaiming that I hope one day there can be a way to figure out which school is the best fit for one individual until then all we can do is look at the rankings and go for it. Education is what you make it...but going to M.I.T doesn't hurt either.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Stop Staring at my T-Shirt and go to McDonalds. Welcome to America
So every morning I steal one of my girlfriend's roommate's Clementines (eatin' one right now actually). I don't think she notices, she never eats them. So I figure someone has to enjoy them. They're such a nice little breakfast.
Which gets me thinking what ever happened to breakfast? It seems like no one eats it anymore. Either you're not up in time or you're too busy. And then if you are up in time you always think "ooo I'm awake before 11, I'm going to McDonalds." Which I would argue is equally as good as a Clementine if not better.
I think right now I like McDonald's just as much as when I was 3 years old. Fuck Spurlock, McDonald's is great, go hang out with your Al Qaeda friends (we all know you've got some). And forget the health professionals of the world. I wouldn't be surprised if a little McDonald's prolonged your life by at least 10 years. You don't even have to use US currency there anymore. Last time I was there I got my change in Brunei ringgits.
So thanks Lindsay for your Clemintines and thank YOU McDonald's for tasting so good and probably infusing your food with addictive additives.
Which gets me thinking what ever happened to breakfast? It seems like no one eats it anymore. Either you're not up in time or you're too busy. And then if you are up in time you always think "ooo I'm awake before 11, I'm going to McDonalds." Which I would argue is equally as good as a Clementine if not better.
I think right now I like McDonald's just as much as when I was 3 years old. Fuck Spurlock, McDonald's is great, go hang out with your Al Qaeda friends (we all know you've got some). And forget the health professionals of the world. I wouldn't be surprised if a little McDonald's prolonged your life by at least 10 years. You don't even have to use US currency there anymore. Last time I was there I got my change in Brunei ringgits.
So thanks Lindsay for your Clemintines and thank YOU McDonald's for tasting so good and probably infusing your food with addictive additives.
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